Fields Dynamite!! The Power of Courage 2009 Preview
DREAM/FEG's Dynamite!! 2009 Dream vs WVR will take place on December 31 in Saitama, Japan
The end of the year brings us answers to questions that have evaded us as well as the chance for new beginnings on the horizon for the next year. This is a time honored tradition in the martial arts and on one special day every year all martial arts merge for one spectacular show. The curtains open once again to the yearend extravaganza held on the last day of the year in the famous Saitama Super Arena.
Before mention of any bouts it must be said that this event is ground breaking for the fact that numerous martial arts organizations have grouped together for a stellar card. K-1, Dream, Sengoku have given top tier talent for the upcoming card. Masato who is regarded as one of the best kickboxers on the K-1 roster was scheduled to fight newly crowned K-1 champ Giorgio Petrosyan in Masato's farewell bout. In a twisted turn of events Petrosyan cannot fight due to the fact that he broke his hand in his semi-final bout against Yuya Yamamoto. Andy Souwer will fill in for the champ being the 2009 runner up however the question remains will this be Masato's last bout? Masato has gone on to say that he wants to fight the champion hopefully that will still be a match we get to see. “Sugar” Ray Sefo will return to K-1 activity in a match against Yosuke Nishijima who is sporting an 0-1 K-1 record and an 0-5 MMA record enough said. The finals of the K-1 KOSHIEN 62kg Class tournament comes to a head when Hiroya takes on Masaaki Nori and Shota Shimada fights Katsuki Ishida to see who will meet in the finals. Hiroya is the favorite to win the tournament but with K-1 a single punch or kick can make a decisive difference.
The MMA section of the card is jam packed with impressive bouts as well. The miracle man Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa takes on the game Cameroonian Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Minowaman lately has become a born again David defeating two of the biggest Goliath's in mixed martial arts Bob Sapp and Hong Man Choi. If Minowa can keep his mind on strategy he may be able to expose the holes in Sokoudjou’s game but Thierry has extensive speed and takedown ability that has been Minowa's foil in the past. Judo silver medalist Satoshi Ishii will make his MMA debut against Sengoku Featherweight Grand-Prix Champion Masanori Kanehara; the champion will certainly welcome the judo specialist to MMA with closed fists.
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In the most exciting string of bouts from the card Dream faces off against Sengoku in some very interesting and competitive matches. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto makes his brave return after two devastating losses to rookie Joe Warren and Jae hee Cheon in a K-1 bout. Kid needs to get back on the winning track against Sengoku's Masanori Kanehara. Being one of the most popular fighters in Japan Yamamoto needs to seize this opportunity to topple an opponent from the rival MMA promotion. Kid needs to implement a smart game plan with his quick boxing and devastating ground and pound. In one of the most exciting bouts of the night Pride Fighting veterans face off when Hayato “Mach” Sakurai and Akihiro Gono square off in a match of experienced masters of their craft. Gono has always worked a surgical striking game with his pinpoint kicks and punches from a safe distance. “Mach” Sakurai has always been relentless with his striking and ground and pound and will make it difficult for Gono to keep away. After Sakurai's last lackluster fight in the Dreams Finals for the Welterweight title against Marius Zaromskis he needs to re-establish himself as a force in the Dream ranks. The card is also home to a spectacular Heavyweight bout when Sengoku's famous wrestler/ brawler Kazuyuki Fujita faces off against the Strikeforce Champion and martial arts journeyman Allistar Overeem. Overeem has been fighting nonstop in K-1, Dream and soon in Strikeforce and makes for a stern test for the man called “Iron Head.” Fujita will need to work takedowns and pound out the game opponent before Overeem uses his crisp striking to make it a short night for him.
This card is the medicine for any martial arts junkie and always makes for a memorable night. This card gives fans what they want to see- competitive fights with the top fighters in the business and only in Japan can dreams meet reality. The title of the card says what the fighters will need to get through the night...The Power Of Courage. Tune in on December 31 on HDNet to see the action.
By Sam Armen
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer